Staff Report

Aretha Nicole Johnson

Semaj Christopher Carson

WARSAW — A mother and son from Warsaw were arrested after allegedly firing a gun at a man.

Aretha Nicole Johnson, 42; and Semaj Christopher Carson, 22, both of 602 W. Winona Ave. Apartment 2, Warsaw, are each charged with criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, a level 6 felony.

On March 17, a Warsaw Police officer responded to a report of shots fired in the area of West Winona Avenue and South Harding Street. Upon arrival at the scene, the officer found three shell casings, blood, a cellphone, and a pocket knife in the middle of the roadway.

According to court documents, witnesses said a group of four people had a physical altercation, during which several gunshots were fired. One of the men involved left the scene on foot while the other three went into a home before leaving in a vehicle.

Law enforcement learned that the victim who had been involved in the earlier altercation was walking to his home when he entered into a second altercation near the intersection of Winona Avenue and Harding Street. The man told officers he believed he was being yelled at by two people outside of a home and had a physical altercation with a man, later identified as Carson. During the altercation, a handgun was fired at the man, who initially thought he had been hit.

The man was injured during the altercation, but did not suffer a gunshot wound. He identified the two people who shot at him as a mother and son who lived in an apartment together on West Winona Avenue. The man allegedly said the son shot at him and then handed the gun to his mother, who also shot at him.

Through interviews with neighbors and the victim, Carson and Johnson were identified as the suspects.

A search warrant for Carson and Johnson’s home was obtained by officers on March 18. During the search, officers found a firearm box containing one fully loaded magazine, one empty magazine, and a box of ammunition. The box of ammunition matched the shell casings found in the roadway.

That same day, a Warsaw Police detective spoke with Johnson about the incident. Johnson said that she and her son, Carson, were outside talking when a man began yelling and getting into Carson’s face. She said that was when a physical altercation between Carson and the man started.

In the interview, Johnson admitted to shooting a gun into the ground off to the man’s side. She said the man was choking Carson and that he could not get up when she fired. Johnson told the detective she was attempting to scare the man by shooting the gun.

The detective then interviewed Carson, who said he was outside of his home speaking with Johnson when a man began yelling at him from across the road; this led to a physical altercation between Carson and the man.

Carson admitted to firing a “warning shot” at the man, saying he shot at the ground and only fired once. He also said Johnson fired a shot to protect him while he was on the ground. Carson told the detective he purchased the firearm but discarded it while traveling to a hotel after the incident.

Johnson and Carson have both already been arrested and released on their own recognizances.